Mastering your 30 second resume

Update: 2024-09-20

Description

A great career story can accelerate growth, yet most struggle to craft one. Even top performers fall short, telling stories that are overly detailed, abstract, jargon-filled, or poorly structured – all of which can lose a listener's interest.

The first 30 seconds are crucial; you need to hook your audience quickly. Think of the beginning of your story as a movie trailer: highlight the most engaging aspects rather than chronologically detailing every event.

This episode focuses on crafting a captivating 30-second introduction to your career story that engages listeners and enhances your professional profile. We've taken a unique approach by inviting Skip community members to submit their career stories for a live workshop. You'll hear real examples of me coaching engineering and product leaders, demonstrating the transformation from initial attempts to polished and punchy narratives.

We also discuss:

Common storytelling mistakes that everybody makes
Techniques for weaving a theme into your story
Effective strategies that will hook listeners
Adapting your story for various audiences and situations
Balancing between brevity and showcasing your unique value

Referenced:

Where to find Nikhyl:

Find The Skip:

Don't forget to subscribe to The Skip to hear me coach you through timely career lessons. If you’re interested in joining me on a future call, send me a note on LinkedIn, Threads, or Twitter. You can also email me at nikhyl@skip.community

Timestamps

(00:00 ) Episode teaser: Mastering your 30s resume

(01:15 ) Common mistakes everybody makes

(09:42 ) Why you need a 30s and 2m career story

(12:21 ) Showing the trailer, not the movie

(16:44 ) Example 1

(17:28 ) Thinking about story sequencing

(19:04 ) Example 2

(19:44 ) Avoiding detail

(21:21 ) Example 3 (before)

(21:54 ) Avoid abstract stories

(23:52 ) Example 3 (after)